5 Burning Questions: A-10 Edition

1)   Can anyone challenge Dayton for the league title?

Yes and no. Xavier seems the obvious choice, but lost their top 4 scorers and coach Sean Miller. The Musketeers are a virtual minor league for  major coaching jobss, but expecting a conference title this soon might be a bit ambitious.

Richmond returns 4 starters from last year’s 20-win team, and have 2007’s leading scorer and rebounder Dan Geriot returning after missing last season with a knee injury. The Spiders also should be battle tested, with matchups against South Carolina, Florida, Wake Forest, and a possible date with Mizzou still in the balance.

La Salle is the dark horse. PG Rodney Green could be the next Rodney Stuckey or Courtney Lee, a mid-major stat filler that makes an immediate impact at the next level. The Explorers also bring in top-50 recruit Aairic Murray. A rebounding machine with an NBA body.  

2)   Who will challenge Dayton’s Chris Wright for POY?

We’ve told you about Green. Everyone knows about Xavier’s Jordan Crawford, who made a name for himself by dunking on LeBron James. But Wright’s biggest challenge may come from Ricky Harris, a senior G at UMass that could lead the league in scoring.

Others to watch include Richmond’s Kevin Anderson and David Gonzalez, GW’s Damian Hollis, Duquesne’s Damian Saunders, and St. Bonnie’s Jonathan Hall

3)   How will Temple replace Dionte Christmas?

Unfortunately, for Owls fans, there is no one answer to that question. Scanning the roster there is no real playmaker that jumps out at you.

Fran Dunphy does have a talented group, and should be able to grind with anyone, but there’s no big time performer capable of dropping 20 at any time. It’s going to take a collective effort, and smart play by Luis Guzman at the point. There are enough outside shooters on the roster to burn teams that want to double Lavoy Allen on the blocks. It’s just up to Allen to be an efficient enough of a scorer to warrant the extra defender.

4)   How long will it take Derek Kellog to turn it around at UMass?

At least one more season. the Minutemen will be better than their sub-500 mark from last year, but there’s just not quite enough to consider them a threat to Dayton, Richmond, or Xavier.

With a core of veteran guards, incoming transfers, and blue chip recruits, UMass should be able to surprise a team or two down the stretch. If the freshman are able to contribute by the start of conference season, the Minutemen should play the part of the spoiler, while waiting 1 more year to become a contender. The development of Terrell Vinson, who chose UMass over Maryland, will be key.

5)   How big of an impact will Jordan Crawford have at Xavier?

Crawford made a name for himself by dunking on LeBron James, but he’s actually a pretty solid player. Crawford averaged 9.7 points and 2.3 assists per game as a freshman at Indiana.

The Musketeers really don’t need Crawford to be an all-world performer for the team to succeed. There are multiple options at the point, including new comer Mark Lyons who sat out last season as a partial qualifier, and Dante Jackson and Brad Redford are nice options at the wing as well.

Crawford could easily become the league’s newcomer of the year, but shouldn’t be counted on to score often enough to challenge for POY.